Storytelling Week 10: The Dog Wife

June 3
Today is the day! By tonight I will be Mrs. Caleb Harrison. I am so nervous I am shaking as I'm writing this. I still cannot believe how lucky I am to have found Caleb. He really is the most perfect, kind, loving man. I cannot wait to be his wife and to build a family with him.


June 4
First day as husband and wife. Caleb told me something very shocking. I didn't believe him a first, and then he showed me, and I about lost it in front of him. This is going to sound crazy even to write, but I have to get it out somehow. This morning, Caleb sat my down and said he needed to tell me something. "This is too long overdue," he told me, "but I was afraid I would scare you away, and you wouldn't want to be with me. But now that we're married, you deserve to know the truth." I was so incredibly confused as he took my hands. "Hannah, this isn't easy to say, but I haven't been completely honest with you. You see, I have this ability, it's been in my family for generations. I'll just say it. I can turn into a dog."
I thought he was insane. I remember I pulled my hands away and stared at him. "What did you say? Are you feeling well, Caleb?
"I am Hannah," he said. "I know it's really weird, but I have the ability to turn into a dog. I've had it since I was a child. I know this is hard to process."
I still didn't believe him. So, he then proceeded to change into a freaking German Shepherd. I about lost it. I tried to smile and then just bolted into the bedroom, where I am now. Caleb hasn't tried to come in. I don't even know what to think. My husband, a dog. What if we have kids?! Am I going to be the mother of German Shepherd puppies?? Is his whole family canines? I feel like I'm going to throw up. 

June 5
We've haven't even been able to enjoy our honeymoon since yesterday's "announcement." Caleb's tried to talk to me, but I am still in shock. I woke up today hoping it was a dream, but it isn't.
I love Caleb. I really do. I wouldn't be married to him if I didn't. So why can I not get over this? So my husband can turn into a dog. Maybe that could be useful. We certainly would never need to get a dog. He would be a good protector of our home.
No, it's still too weird. Why would he not tell me this before we tied the knot? This is not something you wait until your married to tell. Maybe that's what I'm most upset about, that he didn't tell me. Apparently he wanted to wait until he had me forever before he revealed his deep dark secret. What am I going to do?


June 6
Something… interesting happened today. It may have changed everything.
After two days of this, I needed to get out of the hotel. We were supposed to be exploring New York for our honeymoon, but Caleb has ruined that plan. I needed to get out and think clearly alone, so I decided to explore I my own. Caleb told me I shouldn't go alone, but I said if he wanted things to get better, I needed to be alone.
I walked through the streets of New York for about an hour. I was still trying to process everything (and getting no where) when someone grabbed me from behind. There weren't very many people around and the person dragged me into an alley. I tried to fight him off, and I was doing alright, but he was a lot bigger than me. I really feared at that moment that I would be raped or murdered or both.
Then something came on the man and he let go of me. I back away and watched as a dog, a German Shepherd, bit the man. The dog stood in between the man and I and growled at the man. The guy took off running. The dog turned around and changed in Caleb. "I told you not to go alone," he said, smiling slightly. All I could do was hug him.
It's still weird that my husband can turn into a dog. I'm not sure where that will take our lives. But I saw then that Caleb really cares about me, and that he will always be there for me. So I think we'll be alright.

Author's Note: I read a Native American story called The Dog-Husband. It was about a woman who had a dog she loved. The dog could actually turn into a human, and well, she got pregnant. The story was a little messed up, but I liked the idea of a human being able to turn into an animal, so I decided to write about a woman who marries a man who can turn into a dog and to write about her reaction. I chose to write it in diary form to make it even more personal and informal.

Bibliography: This is a retelling of the story of "The Dog-Husband" from Tales of the North American Indians collected by Stith Thompson. From the unit Native American Marriage Tales.

Image information: "Buck the German Shepherd" taken by Nicky Hannaway, 2008. Web source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part B

Continuing with the bizarre Native American Marriage Tales unit, part B began with the story of The Dog-Husband. A question I have is why is being with an animal suddenly weird in this story? Perhaps it is the circumstances surrounding the "marriage" to the dog. Plot wise, I actually really like the idea of people being able to change form, so that would be a lot of fun to write. I could make this a normal thing, or it could be normal for all but a special few. I am not certain yet.
I cannot tell if the story of The Youth Who Joined the Deer is cannibalistic or not. The youth can turn into a deer, and so can his wife and child, and he kills his brothers-in-law, who are deer and eats them. I still like the idea of being able to change into an animal, but I'm not sure about killing that animal and eating it too. If I created a story like this, I would make it less morbid. 

The story of The Girl and the Turkeys is like a cross between Cinderella and the Goose Girl. I really enjoyed it until the end. I didn't want the girl to lose her turkeys and I would have liked it to end differently. I loved her sweet relationship with her turkeys, and I was sad when they left. I still enjoyed this almost rags to riches story and it would be fun to write a story like this.
I enjoyed the story of The True Bride a lot actually. I love happy endings and I love when good things happen to good people. The story has suspense and drama and is really good. It definitely reminded me of the story of the girl who has jewels coming out of her mouth, and the girl who has bugs coming out, which was a story I enjoyed as a child. Writing a story like this, with a poor girl who becomes royalty, would be fun, or even to add a twist like being able to spit gold. Even though most of these stories were really odd, I enjoyed them and found a lot of inspiration from them. 

Biography: Native American Marriage Tales collected by Stith Thompson. Source link: Part B

Image information: White Tailed Deer taken by skeeze, 2012. Web source: Pixabay  

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A

For this week, I chose to read the Native American Marriage Tales unit. The stories in this unit are so bizarre, but also entertaining. The story of the Piqued Buffalo Wife is so weird, that I am not sure if I like it. Perhaps aside from the bestiality and the question of whether or not the child is human or a calf, this story is entertaining. I am glad it ended happily, even if it began horrifically.
The story of Bear-Woman and Deer-Woman is just as weird, maybe more so. Are these women animals or humans or a combination? I think it is sad that almost everyone dies, and I wonder where the husband was through all of this and what he thought when he arrived home.
The story of the Splinter-Foot-Girl is also extremely bizarre. So a man gets pricked by a thorn and a little girl pops out, and then how old is the girl before the bull wants to marry her? And then a rock once to marry her, which I'm not sure how that would work physically. I do, however, like the idea of a girl being forced into marriage but then saved. Perhaps she could save herself though.
I'm beginning to get used to animals and humans "marrying" in these stories, such as in the story of The Eagle and Whale Husbands. The only part I do not understand is that the girls wanted the eagle and the whale as their husbands, but then they try to escape. Perhaps it wasn't what they thought it would be or they were just joking.
The story of The Fox-Woman is actually kind of sad. The two should have remained together. 

The title of the story of The Woman Stolen by Killer Whales is what caught my eye in this unit. I find this story so hilarious actually. First the woman gets taken underwater (how does she breathe?), and then the man goes underwater also (how does he breathe?). And then there is a fire underwater and they need water to put it out. It's almost as if the creator of this story forgot that this is set underwater. I found this so comical and entertaining.
The story of The Rolling Head is all kinds of messed up. It features bestiality and cannibalism and homicide. I'm not really sure how I feel about it.
The story of The Bear-Woman does not make complete sense plot wise. Why is the eldest sister trying to kill her siblings? Is she still upset that they killed her lover? It seems like an overreaction. It was still an interesting story to read. I am sure I could write about some kind of animal or a person who can change into an animal. So far, these stories have given me a lot to think about. 

Biography: Native American Marriage Tales collected by Stith Thompson. Source link: Part A

Image information: "Fuzzy Freddy" taken by Rob Lee, 2006. Web source: Wikimedia Commons

Storytelling Week 9: Unconditional Love

There was once a couple who had ten daughters. Each had something special about her; some were incredibly beautiful, some were extremely intelligent, and some were very talented at certain arts. All were desirable, all except for the youngest, Adeline. She was ordinary and plain, and was often overlooked as a result.

However, one characteristic she did possess was her kind heart. All of the other sisters were either too proud or too vain to care about others. As she knew what it was like to feel overlooked and often looked down upon, she made sure to never treat anyone like that. She had few friends because of her plain nature and reserved personality, however the ones she did have were fiercely loyal and devoted to her because they could see her gentle, loving heart.

As the years passed and the sisters grew, one by one they began to get married. Whether it was for love is hard to say, however it was their appealing characteristics which attracted the men to the daughters. Soon, the youngest was the only to not be wed. Normally, this would be nothing to worry over, as Adeline was the youngest and so the last expected to be married. However, as much as her parents loved her, they could see that she was attracting no men to herself. Actually, she preferred to keep to herself and was not even actively seeking out a husband.

It came one day that a stranger, an incredibly attractive and wealthy stranger, visited Adeline's town. All of the inhabitants were completely captured by this fascinating stranger. Every lady, even those who were married, vied for his attention. Why he had come was not made clear, but what was clear was every single lady wanted him for herself. Every one except once again Adeline. She had already decided the stranger would not notice her, and so refused to make a fool of herself in front of him.

This actually made the stranger intrigued. He soon began to notice Adeline and how she refused to acknowledge him. One day he decided to meet her.

"Hello, miss," he said, running to catch up with Adeline. She was on her way home from picking up food from the market. She stopped and stared at him with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dallin."

It took a moment, but Adeline finally composed herself enough to reply back, "I am Adeline."

"What a gorgeous name, Adeline." Dallin bowed low and gave her a dashing smile that would have made any girl blush. It certainly made Adeline blush. "What does a lovely lady such as yourself do for enjoyment in this town?" He was flattering her quite a lot, for even though she was plain, she had pride for herself, unlike the other women.

Adeline looked down. "Not much I'm afraid. I have much housework to do, and I help my parents tend to their farm." There was something about Dallin which she wasn't sure about, but she did not know what. "Actually I have to get back to my parents to help cook dinner. I am sorry to go. It was good to meet you, Dallin." With that, Adeline turned and practically ran back home.

Dallin was left feeling confused. He was not accustomed to women running from him. It intrigued him. He made a mental note of where Adeline was headed, and determined to win her heart.

Days past into weeks, and in each one Dallin attempted to woo Adeline. He would often join her on her daily walk to and from the town. Her kind, gentle nature began to grow on him, and he actually enjoyed her company. Adeline herself became more comfortable with Dallin and his incessant flirting. They formed quite the friendship, and every girl who ridiculed Adeline suddenly found herself envying her.

It didn't take long for Dallin to decide that Adeline would make a perfect wife. She would be hardworking and a kind mother. He quickly went to Adeline's father and asked for his blessing. Adeline's father, who had feared Adeline would live to be an old spinster, immediately accepted Dallin's request.

Dallin was thrilled and ready to ask Adeline herself. The next day, as they were walking back from town, he stopped her and smiled. "Adeline. I want to ask you something." Adeline nodded. "I realize that I have only known you for a few weeks, but I feel I have learned all I need to know about you in those weeks." He kneeled down and took her hand. 

Adeline stared at him with wide eyes as he asked, "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Adeline's heart pounded. On one hand, she had grown to like Dallin. He was handsome and intelligent. However, she knew she could never love him. There was already too much love in his heart for himself. "Before I answer," she said slowly, "I wish to know why you would chose me."

Dallin raised his eyebrows, but he quickly replied, "Because you are kind and hardworking. You would be a wonderful homemaker and mother."

Adeline sighed. "But do you love me?"

At that, Dallin blinked. "I like you a great deal. I thought you would be flattered a man such as myself would pursue a woman like you."

That was of course the wrong answer. Adeline took her hand away slowly. "I have enjoyed you friendship, Dallin. However, we could never make each other happy as a couple. You don't truly love me, and I don't love you. I want more from marriage than someone who is interested in me. I want love."

Dallin was speechless. Certainly Adeline was right. However, no one had ever rejected him, so this was a new experience to process. Adeline quickly ran to her home.

Adeline's parents, knowing Dallin's plan, were waiting for them. "Adeline!" Her mother exclaimed. "Where's Dallin?"

"I rejected him," Adeline said softly.

"What?" Her father stood up. "Why would you do such a foolish thing?"

Adeline found herself smiling. "Because I feel I deserve love. And one day I'll find it."

Her parents stared at her in horror, but Adeline knew she made the right choice. Everyone deserved to find unconditional love.



Author's note: I read a story from the American Indian Fairy Tales unit. It was the story of a girl named Oweenee who was very beautiful, but who refused every man because none of them were beautiful on the inside. She ends up marrying a poor, ugly man named Osseo because she can tell he is kind and loving. Osseo ends up being a handsome prince who was cursed and the two form a beautiful couple. I was intrigued by this story because Oweenee chooses Osseo because of who he is and not what he looks like. I liked this idea, but decided to twist it by making the female protagonist unattractive on the outside, but beautiful on the inside. I also decided on a whim to make uninterested in her lover, because it has become cliche to have a beautiful man fall in love with an ugly girl, even though I also enjoy those stories. I chose to twist the ending and make Adeline and Dallin not end up together, and to focus on unconditional love. Not every man who pursues a woman is truly in love with her, and every woman and man deserves to be truly loved.

Bibliography: This is a retelling of the story of "The Child of the Evening Star" from American Indian Fairy Tales, collected by Henry Schoolcraft. From the unit American Indian Tales

Image information: Image of a proposal from Openclipart-Vectors, 2017. Web source: Pixabay 

Reading Notes: American Indian Fairy Tales, Part B

Continuing with the American Indian Fairy Tales unit, the next story is The Boy who Snared the Sun. I wonder who are the parents of the girl and boy, if they think they are the only people on earth. This story is interesting, and reminds me of the African stories where the animals and the people are equal. I'm not sure what good the boy thought stopping the sun would do. That actually seems very foolish. This is an interesting story, and I'm almost more interested in the mention of the east wind than the actual story. I think it would be fun to write a story about each of the winds.
The story of How the Summer Came features more about the winds. I always like the idea of an eternal winter which is foiled and ends in summer. I know people live in cold icy places, but I always wonder how they live. I wonder what the land of summer is like, and if people there wished it would get colder. That could be a fun perspective to write about. What a sad ending, though. I wonder if there was someone up there who wanted winter and who showed kindness to O-jeeg. Perhaps I could write about that. 

The story of The Fairy Bride is such an interesting, yet somewhat confusing story. I love the idea of a girl who wants more than a normal domestic life. I enjoy how Neen-i-zu follows her dreams, and I hope she is happy with Evergreen and not his prisoner or captive. I wonder how their life together is. It would be fun to write a story like this, of a girl who finds love in an abnormal place. I am not certain where yet, but I could see myself writing it.

Bibliography: American Indian Fairy Tales, collected by Henry Schoolcraft. Source link: Part B

Image information: Picture of an Alaskan glacier. Web source: Max Pixel 

Reading Notes: American Indian Fairy Tales, Part A

This week, I was very excited to read some Native American stories. I chose the American Indian Fairy Tales unit because the stories seemed interesting and unique. I was not disappointed. I really like how the story of Iagoo sets up the rest of the stories and helps make them more personal.
The story of how Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind is such a fun story. I love the enmity between the north and south winds, winter and summer. That is definitely a theme I would enjoy writing about. Perhaps the could be brothers or sisters fighting. I also really like how an ordinary man was able to conquer a powerful being. The story is very entertaining.
I like the description in the story of The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds. It is very vivid and clear. I enjoy how different this story is, and how the hero is a worm. I am always fascinated by underdog stories, so this one was very fun. 

By the first section of the story, I knew I already loved the story of The Child of the Evening Star. I love how Oweenee chooses a man who is caring and compassionate, even if he isn't handsome. I feel like this could be easily twisted so that Oweenee is the unattractive one, but because of her heart she is the one who wins in the end. I certainly did not anticipate Oweenee's transformation. That is such an interesting element, and I actually really enjoy how they still love each other despite appearances. I am curious to why Wabeno cursed Osseo. Was it because he just hated him? Was it to teach Osseo a lesson? That would be a great story to tell. I also enjoyed the ending of the story and wonder what else happens to Osseo and Oweenee's son. Does he enjoy earth? Does he find love? I could write about that as well. These stories are so unique and gave me a lot to think about. 

Bibliography: American Indian Fairy Tales collected by Henry Schoolcraft. Source link: Part A.

Image information: "Inch worm" taken by Glen Edelson, 2009. Web source: Flickr

Week 8 Growth Mindset

        I have definitely been pushed to be more creative in this class, which is not always comfortable to me. I have such a fear of putting myself and my work out in the open, and creative stories seem so much more personal than an ordinary analytical essay. By reading other students' stories, it has definitely made me want to write better and to be more creative. I am still very reserved when it comes to taking risks. I love trying new things, however I am always scared of failure. I still have to keep in mind Carol Dweck's mindset of learning and growing rather than succeeding. This class has definitely helped me want to hear criticism, as it is what will make me better. Positive feedback is great to hear and very encouraging, but it doesn't grow you. When I take that criticism and use it to better my work, it will help make me a better writer in the end. I certainly still have problems pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and this class has helped me to put myself out in the open.
        I've considered for so long to become a writer, and while I am definitely have a lot of growing to do, I do hope this class will help in improving my writing ability and pushing me to do things I would not normally do. I hope to continue focusing on learning and to never give up. If I cease trying, I will never achieve what I want. I also hope to put into practice this mindset in other classes and in life itself to become the best I can. I can certainly work on accepting criticism better in my other classes and in life. 

Image information: "Criticism" posted by Saunder G. on a Wikipedia page for his high school honors course. Web source: WHS Honors 

Week 8 Reflections

        So far, this class has been such an enjoyable experience for me. It is a class I can be creative in and I really enjoy that. When looking back on my readings for this semester, I have read so many great stories and I have enjoyed every one of them so far. Some of them have been very odd, while some have been very funny, and others just enjoyable. I really enjoyed the stories in Arabian Nights. They are so creative and I loved how the stories are interconnected. I also enjoyed the uniqueness of Nigerian Folk Tales and how much thought was put into them. My reading notes have been so helpful in helping me decide on a story. I still do not think I read like a writer completely, as I tend to miss a lot of details about the stories I read. However, in terms of noting what kinds of stories I could write from my readings, my reading notes have been helpful in making note of those and keeping track of my ideas. In looking at the readings to come, for weeks 9-10, one unit which could be very interesting is the Marriage Tales from Native American stories. One unit which I definitely want to do in weeks 13-14 is King Arthur. I also may choose a Celtic tale to read as well. For weeks 13-14, any of the Brothers Grimm units could be very interesting and fun to read. Reading Italian or Russian fairy tales as well would be so enjoyable, so I may have a hard time choosing from the European units. 

        So far in this course, I am happy with the stories I have written. Most of them, however, are not as good as I would like them to be. I am still mastering the art of writing short stories, as I feel I could go on and on with my stories. I have learned that I have more ideas and creativity than I had previously thought, though I can definitely grow as a writer. For this last half of the semester, I want to work even harder on my stories and make them even better and more enjoyable. For my storybook, even though I've only written the introduction so far, I am really happy with how it turned out. This is a story which I have been playing with in my mind for years now. It was only after I learned about the stories of changelings that I decided that this would be such a fun story to tell. The story I had been playing with is much longer, and so I will have to shorten it a great deal, however I am excited to write it and see where the story goes. I want to be able to use fairy stories in order to help create my story, while still making it my own. I definitely want to be able to focus on writing more descriptively and clearly. Many times my writing can make total sense to me, but not to my reader, so I would like to work on that. I want to be able to write diversely. I have already written in first person and third person, and I would love to expand that to even more storytelling techniques. I have loved trying different retelling techniques for my stories. They are not all the same; some of my stories have a twist at the end, some use a theme from a myth, and some expand on a story. I would love to try even more techniques in creating my stories. Any resources this course offers are very helpful, and when I need help, I often look at Pinterest, which contains so many articles on different ways to write and how to make a story better. 

        I so admire the creativity of so many of the other students in this class. I am blown away by how they have written their stories and how they have made them their own. I do notice that some only retell a story without making it their own, and that is something I do not want to do. I would hope that I give good feedback. When commenting on people's blog stories, I try to focus on things that I enjoyed, while commenting on anything they could improve on. For portfolios and storybooks, I try very hard to focus on how the writer can improve his or her story and anything he or she can expand on. I think for the storybooks and portfolios, I do a fairly good job, however I know I can go deeper in my comments on blog posts, so I would like to work on that more. All in all, when I enrolled in this course, I was not expecting to be writing so much, but as someone who grew up writing stories and creating, this has been such an enjoyable experience for me. I look forward to the rest of the semester.

Image information: "Writer" taken by Fathromi Ramdlon, 2015. Web source: Pixabay

Storytelling Week 7: Why the Roller is so Colorful

In the olden days, the roller bird was a very plain bird with brown feathers which matched the color of the trees and the sand. The roller bird was a lover of fun, and she especially enjoyed playing tricks on the other animals. Because of her dull appearance, the roller bird was able to go about undetected in order to scare or trick others.

One day, as the roller bird was looking for insects for lunch, she spotted the elephant walking past, looking for his own lunch. The elephant was delicately picking marula fruits off of the marula tree. The roller bird decided to have some fun with the elephant. Discreetly she flew closer to the elephant and plucked off one of the marula fruits. With the fruit in her talon, the roller bird hung the fruit as if it were still hanging off of the tree. When the elephant came to pick this fruit with his trunk, the roller bird quickly pulled the fruit up before he could reach it. 

The elephant lowered his trunk and tilted his head up at the tree, however which his small eyes and the bird's camouflage appearance, he could not see that it was the roller bird at work.

The roller bird lowered the fruit again, and the elephant tried to pluck the fruit from the tree. Once again, the roller bird pulled the fruit up in the last second. Now the elephant was frustrated. He was determined to get this fruit. Standing on his back two legs, the elephant reached as high as he could to pick the fruit, but still the bird moved it out of his reach. This time, the elephant lost his balance and quickly came crashing to the ground.

Quite in pain from the fall, the elephant then heard a familiar rak rak rak coming from the trees. It was the roller bird! Furious, the elephant shouted at her, "This is the last time you play a trick on me!" He stormed away while the roller bird continued to laugh.

The elephant went directly to the king and made his complaint. The king decided the roller bird must be stopped for good and the way to do that was to make the roller bird more noticeable.

The elephant gathered some of his friends for this task. They borrowed some paint from the humans and came to the roller bird's tree. Even though they knew she was up there, no one was able to spot the roller bird. So the meerkat dug up some insects and placed them in a large pile so as to lure the roller bird down. The other animals hid as best they could so she could not spot them.

It worked, and soon enough the roller bird swooped down to her dinner. She was so focused on the delicious insects that she did not notice the other animals around her. As soon as she landed, the animals jumped from their hiding places and began to throw paint at the roller bird. The meerkat threw green paint, while the monkey threw blue chunks of paint. The hare threw yellow colors at the bird, and the elephant threw lilac.

By the time the roller bird was able to react, she was covered in bright, colorful paint. No longer was she able to hide in the trees, as when she flew away, all of the animals were able to see her even through the dense branches. This is why the lilac breasted roller bird is so colorful now, and why she is so ashamed to trees for very long. 

Author's Note: As I was reading folk stories from Nigeria, many of the stories that stuck out to me where sort of creation stories which explain why some animals look or act the way that they do. The stories usually are very outlandish and unrealistic, but they are still fun to read. As I was looking at animals from Africa, one that stuck out to me was the Lilac Breasted Roller Bird, which has such beautiful multicolored feathers. I decided I wanted to write how this bird got its beautiful feathers. It is unrealistic and outlandish, yes, but hopefully it entertains. 

Bibliography: This was inspired by various animal folk tales from Nigeria, collected by Elphinstone Dayrell, from Nigerian Folk Stories. From the unit Nigeria

Image 1 information: "Maroela" taken by Davinci77, 2005. Web source: Wikimedia Commons

Image 2 information: "Lilac Breasted Roller" taken by Gareth Rasberry, 2013. Web source: Wikimedia Commons